


Stay at Home Puppy

by Namiriana



Series: Home [2]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Anger, Angst, Betrayal, Comfort, Family, Hurt, M/M, Miscarriage, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-19
Updated: 2014-10-11
Packaged: 2017-12-29 19:49:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 20,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1009374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Namiriana/pseuds/Namiriana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everything is well in the House of Inu until a person of the past returns and threatens the balance of the House. Will Sesshoumaru be able to handle his angry mate and the new comer? And what happens to Sesshoumaru? How will Inuyasha cope with everything?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sleep with One Eye Open

Inuyasha woke just before the sun was due to rise in the east sky. It took a moment for his brain and his body to reach the same page. When they were in sync, he realized exactly why he had been awakened. The pup launched out of the bed to the basin that was across the room and proceeded to relive last night's meal. After a few moments, gentle hands held his hair as his retching became more violent and he could not do so himself. Inuyasha hadn't felt that horrible since he had been poisoned and could only hope dearly that he hadn't been poisoned again. After what felt like hours, he finally stopped dry heaving and was able to relax back into his mate's arms. Five years, and Inuyasha still smiled stupidly at the thought of his mate and his young ward, Shippou. Sesshoumaru and Shippou were his family and he loved them dearly. Sesshoumaru's presence while he had been sick reminded him of the reasons why he had mated his stuck up, pompous aniki.

Sesshoumaru awoke to the sound of Inuyasha getting sick over the basin. He had told the puppy not to indulge to heavily in the wine, but did the pup listen? No. Inuyasha had to be stubborn and do what he wanted to do instead of taking his aniki's sensible advice. Sesshoumaru's internal victory at his otouto learning his lesson was cut short as they sounds of retching became more harsh. Even over indulging in drink would not have caused such a reaction within the hanyou. The TaiYoukai was up out of the bed and beside Inuyasha in the blink of an eye. He took up the pup's hair as the smaller inu's hands became more preoccupied with maintaining Inuyasha's precarious balance than with such trivial things as keeping his hair out of the way. Sesshoumaru was worried about the fact that even when nothing else was coming up that the pup was still trying to retch until all the tense muscles finally relaxed into his grasp. It took him a moment to find that Inuyasha had passed out in his arms as he held the pup there, waiting for the smaller inu to move.

 

* * *

"Stay away from me, Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha had been in a snit all week after his early morning episode. Sesshoumaru just couldn't figure out what he had done wrong this time, though. He had just wanted to spend a bit of time with his mate, alone, in their quarters and instead he got a foot to the ass while Inuyasha threatened to cut off some very important parts of his anatomy if he wanted to have heirs. The sickness had also not abated in the past week and that was another worry that Sesshoumaru held for his young mate. It was affecting Inuyasha's appetite, making it impossible for the hanyou to eat something and keep it down. Some foods he holds better than others, but still most foods come right back up. Sesshoumaru was beginning to think that he would have to force Inuyasha to see the healer as the pup was being his usual stubborn self and was refusing to go.

Inuyasha didn't know why he was constantly getting sick or why Sesshoumaru was all of a sudden pissing him off so much. Not only those things were wrong with him. His nipples would get really sensitive at times and he could swear that his chest was going soft. Inuyasha didn't want to go to the healer, but he was getting freaked out by what his body was doing. He had an idea of what was going on and if he was right, then Inuyasha felt no guilt in tongue lashing or denying his mate sex. He really was ready to go through the trails and triumphs of pregnancy and childbirth. He was also fairly attached to Sesshoumaru's bits, but those might disappear if the healer confirms his suspicions.

Inuyasha stalked the palace corridors until he reached the healers quarters. Their previous healer had died due to his mate poisoning him and no one had figured out why the she-demon had done it. Inuyasha liked Nya, but he disliked hands being on him, well any hands besides his mate. He looked about her workspace, but she wasn't in sight. Her study was just as empty as the workspace and Inuyasha had no choice but to knock upon the door leading to her private suites. He might be interrupting something, but at the moment Inuyasha could care less about what was going on beyond his own problems. He really needed to know whether or not his aniki was going to be missing some valuable pieces. He knocked at the door with a quick beat and waited for Nya.

 

* * *

Inuyasha was an odd combination between pleased and pissed. He supposed that the pleased portion of himself was his youkai, but his human half was already telling itself that Sesshoumaru was going to need to sleep with one eye open from then on. He had told the libido happy youkai that he was not ready to get pregnant and yet, that was where they were. Inuyasha wanted to cry at that point, but decided that he would need to talk/yell at some demons first, visit Shippou and Rin to tell them the news, and then kick Sesshoumaru's ass. Of course, the last on that list would have to wait until he was back to full strength, but that was okay with Inuyasha because then Sesshoumaru would never see it coming. He would expect the pup to come raging after him while pregnant. Inuyasha knew he could be brash and bullheaded, but he wasn't about to harm an innocent soul in his anger. He had seen far to often what that leads to in his two centuries of living.


	2. Forgiven

Sesshoumaru smiled at his sleeping mate and hoped that the puppy would continue in the happy, joyful mood that he had adopted for the past week. The memories of that week were both joyous and horrid in their content. Inuyasha had deemed it necessary to avenge himself for Sesshoumaru's great injustice of getting him pregnant by telling Shippou of his unfortunate reaction to the good news. By the next morning, the entire palace staff knew of what occurred within his private chambers that he shared with Inuyasha. The puppy had even had the audacity to laugh about it...to his FACE! Sesshoumaru couldn't remember a time when he had felt...embarrassed. After that, Inuyasha had declared him forgiven and had been quite loving to him for the rest of the week. That also included some very passionate loving and many a sleepless night. Sesshoumaru doesn't regret a moment of the last week as those nights made everything worth it, including his embarrassment.

Inuyasha on the other hand was pleasantly tired and for once not up at the crack of dawn getting violently ill. He was happy that he wasn't reliving last night's highly interesting meal as he was sure it would turn him away from certain things forever. Inuyasha decided to stop thinking along that route before something happens that he would come to regret. Instead, the half-demon got out of the bed, waved to his mate who was watching him from the doorway that connected their private chambers to the sitting area, and traipised happily into the hot water spring that was also connected to their rooms. The hot water relaxed his aching muscles after all of the exertion the night before and that was a good thing as they were hosting a formal meeting of all the lords and ladies of the surrounding lands. In total that meant that they had around ten to fifteen snooty demons to deal with and Inuyasha would have a time holding his tongue as they would 'whisper' about his aniki's mistake in taking him as a mate. He sighed and put the daunting thoughts out of his head as he enjoyed his bath. Maybe he would visit Shippou later.

* * *

Shippou and Inuyasha laughed heartily as they once again shared the stories of the servants reactions to the news that their lord had fainted. This get together happened to be a direct result of the gathering that would be happening later on that night and Inuyasha was helping the kit to dress as well as rehearsing the little fox's manners. If there is one thing that Sesshoumaru absolutely would not stand for, it was lack of decorum and especially a lack of etiquette in front of any members of the court or demons of standing. Shippou was trying his hardest and it seemed that his hard work and tutoring was paying off. The young kit was acting like a true prince and Inuyasha couldn't be happier for his little pup. Shippou would make him and Sesshoumaru proud this evening and Inuyasha knew it. They both took deep breaths and checked themselves once more. Inuyasha's midnight blue haori and hakama with silver stars along sleeves was completely as it was supposed to be, not a stitch was out of place, and Shippou in his emerald with pale blue circles on one sleeve was just as impeccably dressed. They moved through the many corridors and stopped at the great dogwood door that separated them from the rest of the party.

Sesshoumaru was a bit anxious at how the presenting of his mate and their adopted kit would turn out. Inuyasha had a reputation of speaking first and thinking later, so did the little kit, especially when it came to something being said about his Papa. Sesshoumaru knows that much from experience. He can only hope that Inuyasha will do him proud and that the brat will follow his Papa's example. Sesshoumaru covered his face for a mere second before letting out a defeated sigh and coming to terms with the fact that tonight was going to be pure hell. He could only hope the damage to the palace could repaired quickly as he would like to use this room in the future. Sesshoumaru sighed again and tried to will the 'not there' butterflies from his 'not' quesy stomach as only the night would truly tell what would happen at the formal presenting of his mate and child.


	3. Visitor

Sesshoumaru had gotten wind of a very troubling rumor, one that he almost couldn't believe to be true except for the fact that there were so many supposed confirmations of the rumor. This was not a great time to get such news as Inuyasha was now through the first half of his six month pregnancy and should the rumors be true and he half-demon should find out, there would be no doubt that he would fly off the handle. That would be not be good for the baby or for him. Sesshoumaru was afraid that he would have to leave his mate by himself in the castle for a long enough time to head off that rumor. Inuyasha was perfectly capable of running the palace as he had shown when he had played the perfect host at the presenting ceremony a month ago. The rumor was too close for comfort at the moment and Sesshoumaru would do anything to protect his mate.  
Inuyasha could feel something off with Sesshoumaru everytime the older inu even called his name. It was worry that laced the stoic demon's voice and that caused the pup to worry as well because Sesshoumaru never gave a hint emotion to anyone but himself and the children. To call his name with such worry in front of many of the nearby servants and Miroku, who he had been talking to, was unheard of until then. Inuyasha quickly excused himself from Miroku and went to his aniki. Sesshoumaru took Inuyasha's waist in a gentle embrace before leading him away from prying ears, he didn't go far do to the extra weight his small mate was carrying, though.  
"What is wrong, Sesshoumaru? I have never seen you this jumpy or worried before," the hanyou started immediately. Sesshoumaru looked pensively at his mate before giving a slow and hesitant answer.  
"There is rumors of trouble at the border. Normally such rumors have no value or significance to me as they can and are handled by the locals. This rumor, however, has been spreading inland and at a remarkable pace. I want to head it off before it gets anywhere near here, but I am worried that I will not be in time or that they will reach here while I am away. I need your help Inuyasha because I want to stay here and protect you and our children, but the need to cut it off before it can come any closer is just as strong a want. What should I do, puppy?" Inuyasha was stunned that Sesshoumaru had actually sought his council for anything that didn't directly involve his position as the beta of the relationship. He wrapped his arms around his aniki trying to get his mate as close as physically possible with his swollen belly before he spoke directly into the older inu's pointed ear.  
________________________________________  
Sesshoumaru actually found himself feeling guilty of leaving his family and especially his mate at such a budding time in their relationship and halfway through Inuyasha's pregnancy. He didn't know when he would get back, but he made sure to promised himself to come back before his pup was born because he wanted to be there. He wanted to be there not only for the birth of his pup(s), but for Inuyasha as well. The young hanyou was still scared about becoming a parent so soon and nervous that he wouldn't be able to handle a newborn/(s) while Sesshoumaru would be away. Sesshoumaru promised his otouto that he would be there to support, help, and comfort him, that they would figure out the parenting thing together.  
Inuyasha knows he had told Sesshoumaru to go, but he was already missing his mate and his aniki had only been gone for a little over a day. It was hard to be pregnant and taking care of Shippou and Rin by himself as he refused to allow them to be raised by nannies. He believed that they should know the care and love of their parents and that was what Inuyasha was doing. Inuyasha straightened with new resolve as he reaffirmed that he could do this. It may be a newborn that he was going to have to handle in a few months, but he feels he can do it, he knows he can. He hopes to Kami-sama that Sesshoumaru would be there when the pup(s) comes, but if he for some reason cannot, Inuyasha will not hold it against him, but try to be the best 'mother' as he can be.  
________________________________________  
It has been over two and a half centuries since he had been in the Western Lands and more importantly since he had resided at the Western Palace. After grieving for the loss of not one, but two mates in less than a two decade span, the demon had decided to travel rather than to return to the place he once called home. The figure had finally moved on from his grief and had even found someone else to be his companion. Since he was back to a semblance of the demon that he used to be, he decided he was ready to go back home. The couple had been traveling for days and they had finally reached the borders of the Western Lands, which the demon could have sworn two centuries ago did not extend thus far, but he didn't pay much mind to it as it was not as important as getting home. However, his companion and he had to move slowly due to his mate's pregnancy and it also had him worried that they would not make it in time to the palace before his companion gave birth. He just wanted to go home.


	4. Visitor pt. 2

Inuyasha was just knew that something was going to happen today and he couldn't figure out if the butterflies in his stomach were a good sign or a bad sign, but he knew for certain that something was going to happen. Wanting to take his mind off of the conundrum that was ever so persist in his mind, he decided to see what Shippou and Rin were up to. He hadn't played with them in a while considering his steadily expanding girth, but he knew at the moment that they would playing out in the gardens and he would drop in to watch them as they played. He loved to see their faces alight with laughter and innocence, the way his childhood should have been and the way that Shippou and Rins should have began. All of them had been through so much, it just warmed him to see everything as it should be.

Rin and Shippou were indeed in the private gardens that was their designated play area. They were playing tag, though the little fox kit was taking it easy on Rin so that she wouldn't constantly be it, and he could see how happy they both were. Inuyasha placed his hand upon his swollen belly preying to every deity that he could think of that his his and Sesshoumaru's pup(s), they still don't have a clue as to how many, would be able to enjoy a happy childhood. He only wanted the best for his children and he hoped that the rumor of trouble around the palace lands was something that Sesshoumaru could dispatch quickly. He hated worry if his mate was going to come home in time for the birth or that whatever the trouble was would be like another Naraku. Inuyasha shivered violently at his memories of the kumo and what was done to him. Inuyasha was over it, but the memories were always there and the nightmares had come back since Sesshoumaru had been gone. He grinned as the two children noticed him and with the innocent laughter only children could have, they ran over to greet him.

 

* * *

Sesshoumaru couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was no way that he could be alive...no way that he could be alive and have left him and Inuyasha, especially Inuyasha, without his love and guidance. It had taken Sesshoumaru a century of mistakes to learn how to run the Western Palace properly and just as much time to learn how to apply the right diplomacy to the different lords and ladies of Japan. The demon standing before could not possibly be the father that was supposed to have died over two and a half centuries ago, this man could not be his father because his father was never a coward, he never ran away from anything. Sesshoumaru wanted so much to act childishly and pretend that the scene before him was not true. He wanted to close his eyes and hope that when he opened them that nothing would be their and he could admit to having ate something that gave him hallucinations. He didn't, however, he only stared in shock, anger, and sadness. He knew he would have no choice but to give back his position to the man before him because he knew that the demon was returning to the palace. Sesshoumaru also worried for what would happen when his mate laid eyes on the pair before him. He knew his mate would only see it as one more betrayal by people that were supposed to love him and that could set back Inuyasha's emotional recovery to square one.

"Sesshoumaru?" The deep voice broke him of his reverie.

"..." Sesshoumaru was speechless. What were you supposed to say to the parent that you had thought to be dead for over two hundred years. How were you supposed to respond to the revelation that everything you now hold dear could be destroyed because of matters beyond your control. Sesshoumaru felt for the first time in years as though his perfect control could be snapped if the wrong gesture or words were said. Sesshoumaru for once decided that he didn't want to stand strong, that he didn't want to handle the problems that he knew would arise from this situation.

"Sesshoumaru, I came home." The great demon Inu no Taisho told his oldest son. And he was home for good this time.

 

* * *

Inuyasha was excite when he saw Sesshoumaru flying on his cloud of ki in the distance. For the past month, he was so lonely and he was so happy that his mate was coming home. What he didn't expect to see was the gigantic white dog that was racing behind Sesshoumaru. As far as Inuyasha knew, what was left of the white dog clan did not have such large forms as they were not part of the royal family. The feeling in Inuyasha's stomach that had been there all day turned to a weight of dread. Inuyasha's smile slowly died as the forms closed the distance from the palace gates to where he and the children stood.

"Momma," Rin asked in her sweet voice. They had both taken to calling Inuyasha that after they found out he was pregnant. "Who is that with Papa?" Inuyasha looked down with a strained smile at Rin and Shippou.

"I don't know Rin, but I am sure Papa will tell us when he gets here." Inuyasha looked worriedly at the incoming forms. He had a bad feeling about this, but he just didn't know why. He rubbed his belly to soothe the restless pup(s) within. Inuyasha could only hope that it wouldn't lead to anymore bloodshed. He had seen enough of that.

 


	5. Surprise!

Inuyasha, Shippou, and Rin watched with unveiled curiosity and worry. Sesshoumaru did not look the slightest bit happy with the company he was escorting to the palace doors, but quite a bit irritated. Inuyasha could see that past that irritation was fear. Fear of what, Inuyasha didn't know and he thought that most likely he didn't want to know. Inuyasha gave a huff when Sesshoumaru passed him without so much as a word, only motioning for him to follow. Inuyasha ushered Rin and Shippou off to play before following the silent bastard and the 'guests' in front of him.

The group continued down the corridor until they reached Sesshoumaru's general study, where he tends to have meetings instead of actual paperwork. Once they had stopped at the door to the study, Sesshoumaru and the other transformed dog began to shrink in size and space. As the unknown dog became smaller, Inuyasha could see that their was another figure in the group and a heavily pregnant one at that. The woman seemed to be in the final stages of her pregnancy just as Inuyasha himself was, but she might be further along than he. He watched her dismount the strange white dog before watching the dog transform into someone that Inuyasha had no memories of and only recognized because of the painting of that hung on the wall in the study that was right through the doors they were standing out of. Inuyasha suddenly didn't feel to well, in fact, he felt a bit faint and reached out to the wall to steady himself. Sesshoumaru went toward Inuyasha to help, but he was brushed away roughly and Inuyasha left in the opposite direction of the study. The inu-hanyou was not happy about this new development and while he felt that Sesshoumaru didn't have any knowledge of the fact that their father was alive, he just didn't want to be bothered at the moment. He needed to go somewhere and calm down before he did something that could seriously harm his unborn child(ren).

* * *

Sesshoumaru glared at his father as the man settled his mate into one of the plush chairs in front of the giant cherry wood desk in the center of the room. For over two centuries his father was believed dead. Inuyasha was even the keeper of the grave and had seen his spirit when they had gotten rid of that horrendous sword that their father had foolishly left in the care of its sheath. The Lord of the Western Lands looked at the former lord of the same lands and decided he would get straight to the point.

"What is your purpose here?" Sesshoumaru demanded coolly. Inu no Taisho was suprised at the tone and look he was getting from his eldest son. He didn't think that his return would be met with such hostility from either of his children.

"I came home, Sesshoumaru. Why do I need a purpose to be here within my own lands?"

"You left." Sesshoumaru replied coldly. The pregnant female at the former demon lord's side flinched and shivered at the DaiYoukai's steel tone. Her mate wrapped comforting arms about her.

"And I came back. I shouldn't even be arguing with you over this, pup. Now why don't we talk about what has happened over the past two hundred years. I would like to know what all I missed while in...recovery." The older inu demanded. Sesshoumaru glowered at his father before doing something that most would say was childish.

"No." Sesshoumaru replied almost petulantly and then left his father sitting in the study stunned at the behavior of his eldest son. Sesshoumaru did not once turn back to look at his father's shocked features. He had an upset mate to find and comfort and that was exactly what he was going to do.

* * *

Inuyasha was napping in his rooms with Shippou and Rin. They had arrived when they heard their mother's sobs from the garden and had come in to see what was wrong. Before they could ask what was wrong, Inuyasha was wrapping them warmly and tightly within his arms and just crying into their hair. Silent agreement passed through both of the youngsters not to ask why their mother was crying as they were now putting it off on the raging hormones that Inuyasha was prone to in the last couple of months of his pregnancy. When Inuyasha's cries had finally subsided, the little ones were sleeping comfortably around the swollen belly they were trapped against. That was how Sesshoumaru found his mate. It was such an alluring, beautiful, and slightly arousing sight to see his family, his mate all together as they should be. Sesshoumaru hoped that the arrival of their father did not set back Inuyasha's emotional recovery from _that_ time three years ago as he knew the inu-hanyou still had nightmares of it when he wasn't in their bed to protect Inuyasha from his dreams.


	6. Stress Induced Trouble

Inuyasha awoke to small pains in his back and the pup(s) kicking against his stomach violently. This was unusual and it scared him. As he continued to lay there, the pains and the kicking become worse and Inuyasha tried to sit up so that he could attempt to get to the serving gong. He soon found that he could not move due to the amount of pain he was in and the distress occurring within his pregnant belly. Inuyasha looked over at Shippou and Rin whom were still sleeping peacefully and hated what he was about to do. He didn't want them to worry, but whatever was happening in his body didn't feel right and he needed a healer. The inu-hanyou shook Shippou and Rin awake, calming them enough to get his orders to them before sending Rin off to find the healer and Shippou to find Sesshoumaru. Just as the two children were exiting the door of the suite, Inuyasha let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoed to the far corners of the Western Palace.

Sesshoumaru raced through the corridors from the gardens at the rear of palace. The howl that he heard had scared him to near death because he knew it was Inuyasha's. After everything that his otouto had gone through, he had never heard a sound like that from the younger sibling's coral colored lips. Sesshoumaru was afraid that something was horribly wrong and the royal demon had no idea just how right he was. He arrived at his chambers, where he had left Inuyasha and the children sleeping, to see that Inuyasha was laying on the bed, curled in the fetal position with his arms wrapped about his stomach and whimpering in extreme pain. Sesshoumaru sat next to his young mate, gathering him into his arms and tried to comfort his distressed lover. Not long after he had appeared, the healer came through the door and shoved him aside before kicking him out of his suites completely and going to work to find out what was wrong with Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru could here murmurs and Inuyasha's pained whimpers and it broke his heart to hear his mate in such agony, but unable to do anything about it. He summoned Jaken and requested that Advisor Miroku be sent to him immediately as well as to round up the children. After Jaken scurried around the corner, an unwelcome and familiar face came quickly from the direction that Jaken had just left in.

"What's wrong? Who's hurt?" asked the Great and recently found to be alive Inu no Taisho.

Sesshoumaru did not respond as he focused solely on anything else.

________________________________________

Sesshoumaru and Inu no Taisho had been waiting for news on Inuyasha's condition for nearly thirty six hours. After the first sixteen, Inuyasha's whimpers had become quiet and after twenty four, the healer had stopped his murmurs. Sesshoumaru desperately wanted to know what was wrong with his mate and so did his demon, which was becoming impatient and rather testy. Inu no Taisho was trying to get answers out of Sesshoumaru, hell he was just trying to get his eldest son to talk to him even if it was just to yell at him because he had faked his death, quite well he might add, two hundred years ago.

The door opened and the healer came out sweaty and tired. He motioned for Sesshoumaru to come in, but dismissed the former demon lord when he tried to follow after. He softened his reproach by commenting that Inuyasha had specifically asked for his mate. Taisho backed down at the gentle rebuttal. Sesshoumaru walked into his bed chambers to see Inuyasha pale, drawn, and much smaller than he had when Sesshoumaru had arrived home those many hours ago. Sesshoumaru looked to the tiger demon that was Inuyasha's personal healer. He and his demon already knew the answer, but he had to hear it for himself.

"What was wrong?" Sesshoumaru feared the answer that would confirm the sinking feeling in his gut and the pain in his heart.

"The pups went into distress. I do not know what caused the distress, only that Inuyasha would have had to had something extremely stressful happen, especially with how much trouble the pups were in when I made it here."Sesshoumaru's ears perked at the term pups.

"How many?" he asked the downtrodden healer. The tiger demon sighed before answering, knowing that it would add to the DaiYoukai's pain.

"All three pups were miscarried. None of them survived. I am sorry M'lord for your great loss. I leave you and your mate to your grieving." The tiger demon gracefully and quickly exited the room. The demon did not stop on his way out, not even to fill in the former lord that was still waiting outside the door.

Sesshoumaru cried for the first time since he was a pup. He cried for the pain of losing his pups and he cried for all of the pain that Inuyasha had gone through, but fate had decided was just not enough. His mate had been looking forward to giving birth and becoming a true parent. He also cried for the fact that when Inuyasha was told, by him no doubt, he would have to be strong for his mate as there was no one else that would be strong for Inuyasha, and finally, he cried for Rin and Shippou who had lost the siblings they were so looking forward to teaching about this world. Inuyasha regained consciousness to the sound of sobbing and blinked his eyes rapidly before finding that it was Sesshoumaru that was crying. Having never seen his mate cry before, he panicked and tried to ask Sesshoumaru what was wrong, but his royal lover seemed beyond speech. Inuyasha went to grab his stomach as he tried to get up as he always did, only to find that there was no longer a bulge there. He looked into the red rimmed, golden eyes of his mate questioningly. After a moment he was finally able to get the courage to ask the question he feared the answer to.

"Sesshoumaru, the pup?"

"Pups. . .gone." was all he got out of the demon lord. A soul wrenching cry echoed down the corridors of the Western Palace, disturbing the peace of all that lived within the mighty walls.


	7. Confronting the United Past

The past month had been hard on everyone that resided at the Western Palace, but it was harder for no one more than it was for Inuyasha. He felt as though it was his fault that the pups died and he had avoided Sesshoumaru believing that his aniki would be angry with him over his failure even though he was sure that the DaiYoukai would never show it. Inuyasha went into hiding for a week with those thoughts before he had built enough courage to face not only his mate again, but Rin and Shippou as well. He felt as though he had failed them, too. They were so looking forward to their little siblings and Inuyasha had failed at his job to provide them their wish, he had dashed their hopes. He only hoped that all of them would give him a second chance to try again and he would succeed the next time. He would do everything in his power to make sure of it.

Sesshoumaru knew something was still wrong with Inuyasha, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Sure the hanyou was playing with Rin and Shippou, laughing, and working his usual duties as the mate to the Lord of the Western Lands, but his eyes were dead. There was none of the life that usually filled the beautiful golden orbs that were so like his own, but different. Sesshoumaru didn't like it, not one bit, but there was little he could do about it at the moment as he was still having to deal with his father and his father's mate whom was due within the next month, just two weeks before Inuyasha himself was due to birth their pups. Every time that thought crossed Sesshoumaru's mind, it angered him. He knew that it was not his father's intention to cause Inuyasha to miscarry so late into his term, but he did not feel very rational at the moment as it was his father's fault that Inuyasha such a shock which anyone would have had. The regal demon sighed and went to check up on his mate who was napping in the next room.

Sesshoumaru's chest gave a painful twitch as he saw Inuyasha tossing and turning in distress as he weathered whatever nightmare he was having. Inuyasha's whimpers made him feel helpless and useless to his mate. Sesshoumaru did the only thing he could do, he went and lay with his mate, wrapping Inuyasha withing the security of his arms. Inuyasha continued to restless before he began to talk and murmur in his sleep.

"Don't leave me Sesshoumaru!" was the quiet plea. Sesshoumaru was shocked as he had had no idea that Inuyasha felt that way. He would never leave his mate and he felt guilty that Inuyasha felt that way after the loss of their pups. He did not blame the pup, but Inu Taisho and Sesshoumaru decided once his mate woke up that he and Inuyasha were going to face their not-dead-father.

Inu Taisho was feeling guilty about the loss of his grandchildren. Even though he hadn't known about Inuyasha's pregnancy until he had arrived at the palace and seen it for himself, he also knew that he should have never tried to run away from his problems and leaving them to deal with the aftermath. It also appears that his reappearance caused even more problems for his children than leaving did and he didn't know how to fix it. The former lord was still torn, however, as he had a heavily pregnant mate and knew that any confrontation with Sesshoumaru over his otouto would come to blows and Inuyasha had already proved that stress of any kind was too much to be so far along in a pregnancy. He also knew that if he didn't head Sesshoumaru off, that a violent confrontation is exactly what was going to happen.

Inu Taisho had not expected to be ambushed by both of his sons and backed into a corner while he was contemplating. Inuyasha, who he had not seen since he was an infant, looked weary and defeated. By the tales he had heard, Inuyasha was a strong spirit and held quite a bit of fire, this is not what he wanted to envision of such a strong warrior. Sesshoumaru was looking tired as well and Taisho, from what he remembered of his eldest's childhood, had never expected to see such a blatant show of, to use Sesshoumaru's term, weakness. He really couldn't have picked a worse time to have come back unannounced.

Inuyasha couldn't look at his father long because of the anger and the betrayal that bloomed in his chest at the thought of what the former Lord of the Western Lands had done. It made him want to be sick that his father had chose a faked death over caring for him. At least when the older inu was dead, Inuyasha was able to dream and pretend that had his father been alive, he would love him, play with him, teach him, and all the things that a parent did for a child. However, when the great inu returned, he had dashed all of Inuyasha's dreams and wishes in one felt swoop. The shock had been so sudden and so much that Inuyasha had to shut down and he was glad that he had made it to his and Sesshoumaru's suites before he did so.

Inu Taisho attempted to speak, trying to get out what he needed to say before his sons closed him out to the point of not listening, if they hadn't done so already. Before he could finish his first sentence though, Inuyasha's fist connected firmly with his father's jaw before he turned and walked away, his tears leaving small crystalline drops upon the floor like a trail. Sesshoumaru looked a bit smug, but he also knew that for the moment, it was between him and his father to work things out. Inu Taisho was surprised. He had never expected his SON to hit him. It made him begin to doubt that he could ever build and rebuild his relationship with his sons.


	8. Confronting the United Past Pt. 2

Sesshoumaru glared at the man that was supposed to be his father. Sesshoumaru had always looked up to him, but he could honestly say that at that moment in time, he wish he didn't know his father. First he had to get down to more important questions such as, why did his father fake his death, and how did he do it so convincingly with the graveyard and the spirit for the sword Souja later on? Sesshoumaru was deeply confused and he did not like it one bit. However, the young lord knew that he could only find the answers to those questions by making his confusion known.  
"How did you survive?" Sesshoumaru cut straight to the point. He needed to get his answers quickly and return to his mate as he knew, through their bond as mates, that Inuyasha was blaming himself for things out of his control. He did not want Inuyasha to do something self-destructive or he would never be able to forgive their father. Inuyasha had already been through too much, he didn't deserve the trouble that his father had brought with him and that bitch he brought clinging to his tail.  
"Your Uncle stepped in at the last moment. He was the one to help me seal Ryuukotsei away and I made him swear an oath on his unborn children that he would not tell anyone my whereabouts after I left to clear my head. I did not mean for him to say that I was dead, but I am assuming that he told you I died so that you would not follow after me while I was desiring my peace."  
"Running was never the answer. You left me with your burdens, burdens so large that I could not even take care of Inuyasha and his mother. The council took my preoccupation to throw both of them out and back to her people. By the time I had things settled enough after the chaos of YOUR 'death,' Inuyasha's mother had died of a human blood disease and he had been banished from their village." Sesshoumaru's face was blank, but his voice was pitching with his emotion. Inu Taisho looked away, not able to face the consequences of his actions, until Sesshoumaru's next words.  
"For so long, Inuyasha had to live with the lie that I hated him because that had been the way things looked when he was kicked out of the only home he knew, supposedly, by his own brother. Inuyasha had to learn to read from a whore when he was held prisoner at a brothel. He was a CHILD! It took me months to convince Inuyasha to trust himself and me enough to become my mate after I rescued him from that horrible hanyou that his 'gang' had unwittingly on purpose given him to. He was looking forward to bearing our pups. I believe we both deserve more than 'I wanted my peace' as an answer. I want to know the truth, not what you think will placate us. We are no longer children!" Inu Taisho was surprised at Sesshoumaru's tone and felt his paternal instincts wanting to discipline the demon before him that he still considered a pup, but he knew that Sesshoumaru was right. He had to come clean.  
"I was grieving and I admit that in my tears, anger, and anguish I wasn't thinking about anything else but my own pain. Naiya was the one to find me and tend to my wounds physically and later emotionally. She helped me, slowly, to become the demon that I had once been before the death of your mother, Sesshoumaru. I loved Inuyasha's mother, but I admit that I was never in love with her. I see now that I was trying to fill that void your mother had left and had gone about it in the wrong way. I do not regret Inuyasha, though. I just needed time. When I had informed your uncle, I had thought that he would have dragged me back if something had happened here that would require my presence. I had expected to be back sooner, but it was just so peaceful and for a little while I felt as if I owned the world again. More importantly, I felt as if I owned myself again. I am sorry Sesshoumaru. I am sorry for everything I missed in my selfishness and I am sorry for what the consequences of my surprise visit caused you and Inuyasha. If there is anything I can do to make it up, please let me know. I never wanted something like this to happen." Taisho was so sincere, but Sesshoumaru still felt unbridled anger and the dark edges of hate within himself. After the explanation, it wasn't gone, but he did have better control over himself. Sesshoumaru had the perfect solution. Inuyasha needed to know his father and to heal. Sesshoumaru could only help so much as he knew that a lot of the problems lay in the fact that he believed Inu no Taisho had abandoned him because he was an 'unworthy hanyou.'  
"You can start by talking to Inuyasha. You made the mess and now you will clean it up. DO NOT attempt humor with him. He is too emotionally fragile from what you just put him through and his past to have you cracking jokes because you are uncomfortable with the situation. Father or not, you cause him more pain and I will find a way to permanently end you!" Sesshoumaru walked away from the slightly frightened older inu and to find where his mate to start the process for his emotionally awkward father.  
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Inuyasha was pissed and he was in agony. Seeing his father brought back memories that he had been trying to fight ever since he had escaped Naraku's grasp. He didn't know why his mind was making a connection between his father and his dead enemy, but he could only guess that it was the anguish that they had both caused. It was also causing that tiny part of himself that always doubted why Sesshoumaru, or anyone really, wanted to be around him. Inuyasha knew that he was nothing special and his inability to give Sesshoumaru children had just reinforced that opinion of himself. He had not even seen Shippou and Rin since the day they fell asleep with him. It was almost as if they knew just how pathetic and unworthy of existing he really was. He was tired of everyone pretending and decided to do something that he should have done after his mother had died so long ago. He would make sure that the bastard son of Inu no Taisho and his true son, the respected and pitied (because he was mated to Inuyasha) Sesshoumaru, were relieved of their imaginary obligations to him. It was time to go.


	9. Hide and Seek

Inuyasha was cooling himself in the lake outside the palace and surrounding village. He just wanted to be alone for a moment to get his head together about everything that had happened recently. Inuyasha knew that his thoughts were becoming seriously destructive and for once, he wanted to be strong enough to sort them out himself. He wanted to be strong enough to trust in his own decisions based on what he knew in his heart to be true since his brain had a way of mucking things up. He also did not feel ready to deal with the man, his father, that was supposed to have been dead for the past two hundred plus years. As he was sinking further into his own thoughts, Inuyasha was pulled back from what he knew to be an epiphany by the sound of someone approaching. He opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the noise to see that it was the last person he wanted to see at the moment...His supposed to be dead father. Inuyasha did not have the energy nor was willing to put in the effort to listening to the demon that had basically forsaken him and his mother when he was born.

"Inuyasha," Taisho called softly. He wanted to make sure that his presence would not be violently revoked as it had been the last time the two had saw each other. Inuyasha merely stared at him, not saying or expressing anything upon his face that would be considered a good or bad sign of his appearance. Inuyasha was merely content to watch the discomfort he was causing his father, his stoic face had been taught to him by the best after all and everyone said he was supposed to take after his father.

"Inuyasha, could I please have the chance to explain? I only hope that you will hear me out."

"Feh," was the hanyou's fallback reply. He would listen, but once he had all the facts, he would decide on whether or not he really wanted to get to know the demon that is supposed to be his father.

"I will tell you the same reasons as I told Sesshoumaru and if you do not believe me, you can confer with your mate on it later." From there, Inu no Taisho told his reasons for running away once again before describing how he had not known until recently that his kingdom and his children believed him dead. He had come back to rectify that mistake, but he realized that he should have put more thought and research into that plan before he acted so rashly on it. It caused not only mass confusion and chaos, but it also cost Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru their pups.

"That is the worst possible set of excuses I have ever had the misfortune of hearing. It also does not explain how your there is a very real, very you body in the grave that no one was supposed to know about. I do not even know how Sesshoumaru found out about it because I certainly had had no knowledge of it. Let's not forget that evil piece of destruction that was more monster than sword. How did you manage to go all astral projection without having been dead? I have only ever heard of the dead doing such things. There are a lot of holes in your story and I am surprised that Sesshoumaru did not call you on them. Just leave me alone. When you really want to make things right, then you can come back and tell the truth." Without further ado, Inuyasha got up and walked away from his father.  
Inu no Taisho was disheartened about his son's reaction, but the words he spoke were true. However, Taisho didn't know how his death came to be so real as his brother had been the one to handle everything and now his brother was taking a sabbatical. The other would not return for quite some time yet and when he did, Inu no Taisho knew that he would be going after answers to the questions that Inuyasha spat at him. He only prayed that that would be enough to at least get Inuyasha to refrain from being so hostile toward him.  
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Sesshoumaru had finally found his mate and what he saw made him feel warm and content, something that he hadn't felt since he had believed that his father had died over two hundred years ago. Inuyasha was brushing and braiding Rin's hair for bedtime while instructing Shippou on proper etiquette for the Introduction Ceremony that would re-introduce Inu no Taisho to the world of royalty. The ceremony was tomorrow evening and it looked as though Inuyasha was trying to assuage their fears of acting improper while attending.

"Sesshoumaru? Would you like to join us?" Inuyasha spoke softly, almost as if afraid to ask. Inuyasha had changed so much since arriving at the palace after his time with Naraku. In many ways, Sesshoumaru thought of this as a blessing, but he could still see the remnants of the torture still affecting his mate and it made him want to kill Naraku all over again. This incident with their father had not helped matters any either, but he would go a be with his mate and try to build back that cocky confidence that Inuyasha had once held in spades. He would just love his otouto and hope that his love would be enough to heal the wounded heart that seemed to always being taking the hardest of blows. With a small, but still noticeable, smile, Sesshoumaru walked over to the bed that was housing the little ones and his mate.

"Momma? Papa?" Rin looked up at them as she called for their attention.

"Yes, baby," Inuyasha answered, his voice soft and his expression loving.

"Are you and Papa going to try again?" Inuyasha's expression went to shock and a bit of sadness. Sesshoumaru took head of that question.

"One day, Rin. For now, why don't you let momma and I talk about whether or not that is a good for us right now. It's time for bed. We will see you and Shippou in the morning. Goodnight." Sesshoumaru pulled Inuyasha into his arms as he spoke, giving the other as much comfort as he knew how to give. Rin and Shippou hugged them both and said goodnight before running to bed. Sesshoumaru looked down at Inuyasha when the hanyou tugged on a strand of his silver hair.

"I do want to try again, Sesshy, but I can't right now. I just can't," Inuyasha cried brokenly into his mate's chest and for once allowed Sesshoumaru to truly comfort him in his time of need. Sesshoumaru's voice vibrated his chest as he spoke in reply.

"I know Inuyasha, and we will wait until we are both ready." For the rest of the evening, Sesshoumaru just lay with his mate and they comforted each other over the loss that they still felt so sharply.  
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Sesshoumaru watched in vast amusement as Taisho ran around in a panic, forgetting that he was going in the opposite direction of the healers chambers. Inuyasha took pity on the demon, though, and pulled his attention to the fact that he was going in the wrong direction with his in-labor mate. With a flare that neither thought they would see coming from the former lord, he turned and proceeded to go in the correct direction to get to the healers quarters. Afterwards, Inuyasha made a quick and slightly ungraceful exit to get as far away from the palace as possible. He did not want to hear what should have been for him and his mate had his father not shown when he did. Inuyasha felt bitter and he knew he had every right to be, but that woman and child did nothing to him and he was not going to ruin what should be the happiest/most painful days of her life. He would just at, what he now dubbed as, his lake.  
Sesshoumaru wanted to follow, but he knew that his mate needed some time to himself. If he had been in his otouto's place, he would have felt the same. He gave Inuyasha his space for about two hours before going out to seek and comfort his mate. While Jakken was passing in the hallway, he informed the vassal to tell their guests that the ceremony would have to wait at least another day and that if that was any inconvenience then they could depart with the Lord of the Western Lands blessings of safety. Jakken scampered off to do what was asked of him immediately. The demon found Inuyasha walking back through the palace lands and could not help but stare at the stunning beauty that was his mate. He would definitely have to make sure that Inuyasha knew that he was loved tonight. The past month had been one thing after another anyway, and he hadn't been able to touch his mate like that since the pup had reached his fifth month. Yes, he would show Inuyasha just how much his mate wanted and loved him.


	10. Interlude

Sesshoumaru came upon his mate crying in their rooms after another attempt of family bonding between Inuyasha and their father. Sesshoumaru felt that he should be helping his father and trying to get his mate to see their father for the demon that he is, but he also believes that Inuyasha has every right to be upset and that when he is ready to deal with his anger, Sesshoumaru will be there to support him like a proper mate would. He walked over and sat next to his distraught mate and asked the puppy what was wrong.

"I'm so confused, Sesshy. I want to hate him because he left me and then he just shows up like everything will be alright, but I also want to forgive. However, I feel if I forgive him before I have the rest of the story from our uncle then I will counting the chickens before they hatch."

"This decision is completely up to you, puppy. Whatever you decide, I will stand by and give you my wisdom of the matter. As for now, I believe that you have chosen the best path, for once, by waiting to get the whole story."

"Hey! I can make good decisions." Sesshoumaru laughed and felt his heart warm when he he noticed his mate giggling next to him happily.

"Oh really?" Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow before tackling Inuyasha to the bed and tickling the younger hanyou. Inuyasha squirmed deliciously underneath him and the royal demon could not hold back his groan of arousal as Inuyasha rubbed against him. When it happened a few more times in a row, Sesshoumaru looked at the culprit and saw Inuyasha's mischievous look before the little imp arched and brushed his erection again.

"Do you know what...your a-asking for?"Sesshoumaru was reduced to stutters by Inuyasha's incessant petting. The little hanyou tilted his head at his aniki before speaking.

"Yes. Now do something." Inuyasha panted hotly. Sesshoumaru leaned down catching his otouto's mouth in a soul searing kiss. Tongues dueled until Sesshoumaru finally won out and Inuyasha gave in. While Inuyasha was being kissed into dazed oblivion, Sesshoumaru's hands were busy untying the silver obi that held together the deep blue male kimono that the pup was wearing. The obi, kimono, and other layers of clothing disappeared in erotic and hurried fashion before Sesshoumaru's hands met with smooth, lightly tanned, soft flesh. The first thing his hands got a hold of were pretty pink nipples that hardened with the simplest touch of his hands. His mouth left Inuyasha's to claim the beautiful column beneath and to play with the supremely sensitive mating mark that lay upon the otherwise unmarked flesh. Sesshoumaru set out to change that by suckling and nibbling random bits of flesh before returning to the mating mark. Inuyasha moaned in pure bliss as his aniki continued to send all coherent thought out of the window.

Inuyasha was finally piece himself together enough to tug at his brother's outfit before getting impatient and shredding through the layers of clothing that was required, stupidly in his opinion, of royalty to wear. Once his brother was free of his clothing, Inuyasha proceeded to caress every inch of flesh he could get his hands on. His next move surprised his aniki as he hooked his leg over a hip and then flipped them. Sesshoumaru could only express his pleasure as the sweet, tight rear that he loved to be buried in rubbed fabulously against his need and the hot mouth that was currently suckling at his left nipple as though a babe were trying to nurse.

"Nggh...Inuy...Inuyasha!" Sesshoumaru didn't bother hiding his sounds of pleasure from his mate. Inuyasha's mouth moved lower until he reached the long, thick flesh that stood tall between his the demon's thighs. He stroked it reverently before downing the length to the root in one fell swoop causing the stoic demon lord to scream with white hot pleasure. He could feel Inuyasha smirk about his girth as he bobbed on the length and tongued to the slit at tip with every pass.  
Sesshoumaru felt as though he were going to lose his mind with the way Inuyasha was going. The pup hadn't been this frisky since the mating season before the pregnancy. He groaned as Inuyasha's tongue continued to do completely wicked things to him. He called out the pup's name and again screamed as the boy let go of his length only to replace his mouth with his tight, hot channel. Sesshoumaru quickly grabbed his otouto's hips to keep him still and then flipped them back over. Inuyasha mewled at the movement and bucked against his aniki asking to be pounded into the through their bed and straight into the floor. Sesshoumaru wasted no time in doing as his little brother asked. His thrusts started out hard, deep, but slow and steady. As the pup continued to mewl, growl, and moan beneath him, Sesshoumaru's thrusts became near bone shattering and beyond human speed. Inuyasha's eyes rolled back into his head as he wrapped his legs about his aniki's waist encouraging the large cock to penetrate him deeper. Without a touch, Inuyasha came with a scream that echoed all over their wing of the palace, which unfortunately happened to also house their father and his mate as well as the children whom were playing outside, thankfully. With those silken, hot walls tightening further on his girth, Sesshoumaru sooned followed Inuyasha into completion with a growl. When he finally gathered the ability to pull himself off of Inuyasha, he noticed that the pup had fallen unconscious and he chuckled. He pulled the little one to him and decided that a nap would be a very good thing at the moment. He would deal with admonitions later.


	11. New Blooms

Inuyasha awoke happy and more content than he had been since the death of his and Sesshoumaru's pups. He had not realized just how much physical as well as emotional comfort that he needed on a daily basis from his mate and he was glad that they had finally re-established that part of their relationship. Sesshoumaru's arms tightened about the pup laying cuddled within them and smiled a goofy grin as he felt whole and sated once more. Inuyasha had more of an effect on him than he had known until he had gone without the familiarity of all that was Inuyasha.

Both demons were happily wrapped in each other until they heard the quick pitter patter of feet and the giggles of children coming down the corridor towards their room. Sesshoumaru was the one to get up and pull his hakama to greet their children before they saw something that they shouldn't at a too young age. Inuyasha rolled over and propped his head on his hand while smiling slyly at the lord of the Western Lands. Sesshoumaru could feel the seducing aura that Inuyasha knew how to manipulate at will, and it appeared that their session from earlier was not enough for the pup. Sesshoumaru felt the goofy grin of his face grow larger. He was a very happy demon at the moment. Very happy, indeed.  
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Shippou and Rin had heard the screams coming from their parents house during their playtime in the garden. They had given the nanny the slip so that they could see what had happened. As they got half-way there, the screams stopped completely and everything continued on as if the sounds had never been there in the first place. Some of the adults were laughing, though. What is so funny about someone screaming? The two thought as they slipped by the adults without being noticed. Both of them were having fun as they continued to make their way silently and invisibly through the many corridors of the Western Palace and couldn't help but give into their fit of giggles once they made it without problems into their family wing.

As soon as they approached the door, it swung open to reveal a half dressed, yet still impeccable looking father at the door. Both children gulped as a nervous twitch as Sesshoumaru stared down on them with unreadable eyes and a creepy looking smile on his face. It wasn't that the smile was cruel or even unfriendly. It was something that lit up his whole face and softened the sharp features. Shippou took a step back, ready to run from the wrath of his father at a moment's notice and Rin copied his actions. Sesshoumaru finally spoke, but what he said had both children falling over themselves in shock.

"If you are trying to sneak up on someone, it would be best not to giggle, ne?" Rin and Shippou's jaws dropped through the floor as they looked at their father. Usually they would have been sent to their rooms for the rest of the day for running away from their nanny and desert would be taken away, but he had actually just given them a tip on how to do better next time?

"Oh, and no desert after dinner until the next full moon. Off to your rooms and I do not want to hear about another attempt of you two running off from Jinza. Do you understand, Shippou, Rin?"

"Yes, sir," they replied in unison as they bowed their heads in shame. Both sulked off to their rooms as Sesshoumaru closed the door to his suite and returned to Inuyasha.  
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Sesshoumaru didn't know how much more he could take. Inuyasha and he had been going for the past seventy-two hours and the coy little half-demon showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. It was pleasure to the point of pain that he was working on now. He didn't know what was with Inuyasha, but it was becoming too much. When the hanyou started to go down on him again, he stopped the puppy eared male over him.

"Inuyasha, stop! pant What has gotten into you?" Inuyasha just tilted his head in thought before shrugging his shoulders at the older demon. Sesshoumaru pulled the lithe body down next to him and curled Inuyasha into the safety of his arms.

"Talk to me, otouto. I cannot help you if you do not talk to me." Sesshoumaru murmured softly into the pup's ear. Said ear twitched as the warm breath washed over the sensitive flesh and Inuyasha shivered. After waiting for what seemed like hours, Inuyasha answered.

"I want to try again." Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha looked at each other for a long moment, reading each others feelings through their eyes and body language. Satisfying themselves with what they saw in the other, both settled back down into their original position.

"Of course we can try again, pup. I rather liked seeing you look like you had swallowed a watermelon." Sesshoumaru teased lightly and Inuyasha bit his arm before lapping at the blood in apology. Sesshoumaru began to purr at the intimate sensation that was not meant to arouse, but to soothe. He allowed Inuyasha to continue his tongue bath for well over an hour before returning the favor and settling in for the night. He had a lot of catching up to do in the morning and Inuyasha was going to be spending the day with their father to try and build an actual relationship. He also had to prepare for his uncle's arrival within the upcoming month. Sesshoumaru nuzzled his face in Inuyasha's hair and then closed his eyes to sleep.


	12. Uncle is Home

Inuyasha sat at Sesshoumaru's desk in the seat of power! He was eating apple chunks like popcorn as he watched the odd and amusing show in front of him. He even paused to wonder what the people of the palace would think if they saw the display that Sesshoumaru was unintentionally showing Inuyasha at that very moment. It was also for this reason that Inuyasha was eating apple chunks like they were going out of style, he wanted to laugh so badly, but he knew if he did Sesshoumaru would stop and the show would be over. Said demon was currently pacing about the large room, not yelling at Inuyasha for being in his seat as was usual, talking to himself, and pulling at his knee length silver hair before rubbing at his eyes with the palm of his hand and fidgeting with his hakama. It was quite the sight and when he felt two little presences appear by his side, he put both of them in his lap for a better view while sharing his apple bits to keep their giggles to a minimum.

Sesshoumaru was in a fit. His uncle was coming back and not only did the man keep such secrets from him, even after he became of the wisdom required to handle such, he was also someone that Sesshoumaru knew to approach with caution because the man was the only one, other than his now alive father, that could knock him down a notch or ten. He wanted answers and he wanted to have a serious talk with his uncle about why he had gone so far as to have them believe that Inu no Taisho had died.

Shippou and Rin finally could not hold their laughter and erupted like a volcano that had been corked for far too long. Their squeals and pitches of laughter had Sesshoumaru turning around fast enough to look like he might get whiplash. That pulled the last straw for Inuyasha. He and the little ones fell out of the chair with uncontrollable sobs of mirth as Sesshoumaru glared at them, his eyes narrowed. There was absolutely nothing funny about this situation and they were laughing.

"What is so humorous? Please tell me, I might want to enjoy the punchline as well." Three faces looked up from the floor, silent and unreadable even to the know-all Sesshoumaru. After what seemed to be an eternity, his mate and their pups began laughing with all that they were worth, holding their stomachs, pounding of small fists against the floor. Sesshoumaru huffed preppily (dictionary couldn't find it, so its my word;) and stalked out of his study. When he was half way back to his suites a thought hit him.

They just embarrassed me out of my own sanctuary.  
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Akira was humming happily as he made his way back to the Western Lands. He would get to see his little nephew and the mate that the pup had finally managed to let his walls down for. He was always looking forward to seeing the his great nieces and nephews as he had heard that Sesshoumaru's mate was expecting, but he did not really know anything about Sesshoumaru's mate. It is the main reason why he cut his trip short by an estimated three years. He hoped that the demon was beautiful, but strong and thus she would give Sesshoumaru strong pups as well.

Akira also thought back on how his older brother was doing. It had been awhile since the old mutt had contacted him with any information about himself and the mate that he had found as his 'perfect' match. He remembers that his brother said that about the last two as well, but he never seemed truly happy with either woman. Oh well! That just meant he was going to have to make a surprise visit to his stubborn aniki and it also offered him another chance to try and convince the baka to return home and set his affairs in order with his sons. The silver haired, purple eyed demon just sighed and quickened his pace. He was not to far off from his destination and he was anxious to get there as soon as possible.  
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Sesshoumaru was in another snit, but none dared to do anything that could possibly make it worse. Not even Inuyasha and the kids got in the regal demon's way. As for Inu no Taisho and Naiya, they had been happily busy with the new addition to their family and had not been seen outside of their wing since the baby was born. That also meant that they were unaware of Akira's impending arrival.

The one most anxious for Akira's appearance was Inuyasha. He didn't care that the demon was his uncle or the vast age difference. Just like his father, that man had abandoned him and left him for the dogs. Sesshoumaru he understood did not have the ability nor the support to take care of and defend Inuyasha on his own. He had just inherited, at an unnaturally young age for their kind, the throne to the Western Lands and handling responsibilities that he had just began to really learn about. He was in shock and trying to fill breeches that were four sizes to big for him at the time.

Finally it was time to meet the man that had helped to officially tear asunder the house of Inu. Inuyasha was already pumped for it, Sesshoumaru had now decided on a final course of action, the children were ready to give the old geezer a piece of their minds, and Jaken was even preparing his own report for the man that had assigned him to help Sesshoumaru maintain control of the lands while he continued to dally about in and out of the country.  
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Akira did not know why, but he had a bad feeling when he entered the Western Lands Palace gate in his great white dog form. Something was seriously amiss and it did not sit well in his gut, but he decided to proceed on without a thought as to the consequences. He arrived at the front doors of the palace in mere moments with his great bounds before shifting back into his humanoid form. He was quite surprised at the party that was waiting for him on the front step. He was especially surprised by Sesshoumaru's presence there as the younger inu would usually be waiting for him in Taisho's study on the second floor. He walked up to group all smiles and his hand raised in peaceful greetings when he suddenly found himself flat on his back on the hard earth.

Inuyasha felt no need to stick around after his surprise attack to his uncle's face, but he did have a few choice words for his uncle before he left and took the children with him.

"Don' even recognize your other nephew. Pathetic. Shippou! Rin! Let's go. We'll be in the private gardens," and with that Inuyasha took the protesting chibis with him to vent their frustration and anger elsewhere. Sesshoumaru watched with soft eyes as his mate left angry (but the thoughts of how sexy Inuyasha looked when upset turned his gold orbs to a darker burnt gold color) before turning hard and unreadable eyes to the man he had always respected in terms of his strength to overpower Sesshoumaru, but since finding out Akira's part in the life Inuyasha was forced to lead, that respect was gone. No one messed with his family and Inuyasha was more important than any of this other relatives. They were going to settle things, right then and right there.

"Jaken!"

"Hai, m'lord?"

"Make sure that Lord Akira's favorite tea is ready in my study."

"Hai." The little imp quickly scurried off to do as he was bid while Akira was left in bewilderment and a bit anger at the greeting and situation he found himself in.

"Welcome home, Akira. You have quite a bit of explaining to do." With that Sesshoumaru turned and entered into the palace before quickly disappearing down one of the many corridors. He was going to fetch his father and then wait for his uncle to meet them in his personal study. Inuyasha would be joining and he needed to get as many answers from them before that. At least his little mate wasn't pregnant yet, or this confrontation would have had to wait and he honestly did not think that Inuyasha's fragile psyche would have been able to handle that.


	13. Uncle's Confession

Sesshoumaru and Akira were in a staring match when the door opened for the last time, admitting the only missing member of the reunion, Inuyasha. The little hanyou no longer looked angry or even upset and that set Sesshoumaru on edge. The half demon looked tired, more so than he should and Sesshoumaru was half way across the room before the other two demons in the room could register what their eyes had seen. Inuyasha gave his worried mate a devious smile and proceeded to lead the larger of them back to his big seat behind the desk. Once Sesshoumaru was seated again, Inuyasha took his seat right in the lord's lap and snuggled in comfortably. Akira merely raised and eyebrow while Taisho was not phased in the least considering all that he had witnessed before his mate had gone into labor.

"I believe you were going to give reasonable explanations as to the death of the previous Lord of the Western Lands?" Sesshoumaru asked with an elegantly raised eyebrow. Inuyasha just stared blankly at the demon that was supposed to be his uncle.

"I guess we should clear up this matter. This would have been much easier had you listened to me 'Sho and just came home first! Anyway, your father was attempting to use his own depleted life force to seal away the spirit of Ryuukotsei, but I stepped in to stop his stupidity. I am beginning to wonder in the wisdom of my choice though. Instead of allowing him to do that, I invoked the power of Mother Earth to swallow his spirit and use his body to replenish her physical representations. The consequences for my actions are less fatal than your father's had been as it is the reason why I travel so often. I am now working as a channel, if you will, until I pay off the debt that i reaped for using Mother Earth's power. Your father was not in his right mind. I want to say that it was the blood loss, but I also have to believe that the possibly mortal wound had struck a chord somewhere in your fathers logic.

The portal that you contain behind your right, Inuyasha, is not the grave of your father, nor was it your father that put it there. I did so not long after your mother brought you here as a newborn. The black pearl that you protect is an illusion created by dragon magic and Tetsaiga was never housed in the pearl either. I am surprised that you did not pick up on it Sesshoumaru. When your father 'stepped down' from the position of Lord of the Western Lands, the swords that he held, Tetsaiga, Tenseiga, and Souja also left him. Tetsaiga became consciously physical when Inuyasha found someone to protect, someone that was in dire need of his protection. Tenseiga, for you Sesshoumaru, was released into physical world immediately because you already knew of its inheritance to you as well as the fact that you found a use for it. I pity Jaken, though.

Souja was never released to either of you because it never disappeared from the physical world. That is your father's personal sword and as such it can never be wielded by any other than him. That is the way that he had Toutosai make the sword. To make such a sword, 'Sho spirit had to be embedded with the will of the sword and as such you only saw a reflection of your father's spirit. It is most that the appearance of that reflection in the real world that called Inu no Taisho home. It is the kind of like the swords way of telling its master where it is, a way to track it.

Now that I look back on all the trouble that my help has caused, especially that illusion of a graveyard. I know that I should have tried harder to get your father to return first and at least give you notice and an explanation of his wishes. Thing is he was the Lord of the Western Lands as well as my older brother so there was not much I could do."

"So you were never planning on coming back to me, my mother, or even the Western Lands were you?" Inuyasha asked with an suspicious calm that no one but Sesshoumaru was wary of. Taisho looked at his youngest son with shock.

"I had every intention of returning to you and your mother as well as my duty here. Things just happened and when news of your mother's death came, it was like another whack with Toutosai's mallet. I had burdened many things in my time as lord of these lands, but I had lost, then, two consecutive mates and I couldn't, didn't want to bear the burden anymore. I knew Sesshoumaru was more than capable of running the Western Lands without help and I had thought you would be in good hands with Sesshoumaru or had your mother indicated, with her family." Inu no Taisho explained, but with every word out of his mouth, he just kept digging a deeper grave in regards to Inuyasha ever having anything to do with him as a father. Sesshoumru felt it with every barely suppressed tremble of rage that traveled through the small body in his lap.

"I think it is time to eat. You can finish the discussion without me." Inuyasha removed himself from his comfortable position on Sesshoumaru's lap and then left but he did not get anything to eat. The hanyou instead went to the dojo and moved through the kata that Sesshoumaru had personally come up with to fit his raw and natural fighting style. He worked and worked on perfecting the moves, muscle movements, and timings until sweat poured off of him and trailed down his naked torso (nosebleed, yah!). He still did not feel any less angry and decided that maybe he should just resort to what he always did when he was angry; he was going to take a run and if that didn't work he could seduce Sesshoumaru into working off his frustration.

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Inuyasha howled as he roughly impaled himself on his mates steel flesh. Sesshoumaru was quite surprised by the action and echoed the sentiment with his own growl that echoed throughout the deserted the clearing that he had found his mate in. They hadn't gone at it this rough since their first mating, but he wasn't complaining, in fact, he was greatly encouraging the pups actions against his person. Inuyasha began his slow slide off of the rod is his backside and groaned softly at how empty he was starting to feel. As soon as he the tip of Sesshoumaru's pride, he slammed himself back down onto the beckoning member and repeated his actions over again until he had a steady, hard rhythm. Sesshoumaru was content to lay there and let Inuyasha take charge of the pace in a rare moment of submission, his hips jerking upwards into that tight, hot channel and trying to urge Inuyasha to speed his pace so they could both reach that pinnacle. Inuyasha obeyed the silent request and sped his actions resulting in the volume around the clearing to rise. With a sudden arch and twisting motion, Inuyasha was crying out Sesshoumaru's name as his seed went flying straight over the older demon's head to the grass beyond. The pup did not protest as Sesshoumaru rolled them over and worked himself to his own release deep inside the little body beneath him.

"Feeling better, puppy?" Inuyasha looked at Sesshoumaru with dark gold eyes and gave a small, almost content smile before purring his words directly into Sesshoumaru's pointed, enhanced ear.

"Not yet, think you could try again?" Sesshoumaru's demon growled deep within his chest as a slight red tint came to his eyes. It was coming close to season again and Inuyasha was teasing him like that. Sesshoumaru flipped the mischievous pup over, pulled him to his knees by his hips, and began to pound brutally into that small backside with his suddenly renewed erection. Inuyasha moaned with pleasure and a hint of pain. He loved it when his mate dominated him so completely. He bared his neck submissively, giving Sesshoumaru free access to the mating mark of which the demon took advantage of immediately. The lord nipped and sucked at the mark ensuring that his submissive was nothing but a giant puddle of goo beneath him and he continued his harsh pace into the petite body. Inuyasha mewled, groaned, moaned, and squealed (he will never admit that in any lifetime) as Sesshoumaru took advantage of every pleasure button of his body. As Sesshoumaru's speed began to increase and the thrusts became harder, nailing his prostrate with fatal precision, Inuyasha let out a strangled cry before climaxing hard into the grass below. Sesshoumaru growled, the vibrations rippling across Inuyasha's sweat covered back as the stronger of the two buried himself to the hilt and exploded within the warm, wet, and thoroughly claimed confines of the pup's body.

Both demons toppled over to the ground below and Inuyasha snuggled into Sesshoumaru's chest, basking in the warmth and safety that being in his mate's arms provided. After what seemed like an eternity, and a short nap later, Sesshoumaru repeated his earlier question into Inuyasha's twitching puppy ear. The lithe body shivered and mewled before a coherent response was heard.

"Better and don't start something your not going to finish."

"Who said I was not going to finish what I started, hmmm?" Sesshoumaru nipped at the ear again, loving the purring and uneven breaths that he was causing Inuyasha.

"Bastard."

"You love me anyway."

"Yes, I do love you. My Alpha." They shared a sweet, innocent, and chaste kiss.

"I love you, too. My Beta."


	14. Great News for the Western Lands (Sesshoumaru)

All the servants scampered away from the hall Lord Sesshoumaru was currently occupying at top speed and without being overt. The still mostly stoic demon was wearing an ear to ear grin. Even Akira was creeped out by the display of happiness that was on his nephews face. It was times like these that he wished that a channel-er had the ability to touch others in the way that Mother Earth instead of merely being forced to follow the wind to wherever it blows. He wanted to know who put that smile their and whether it was because that poor, demented soul was dead or being tortured. Then Akira witnessed something else, something that had even the servants in the peaceful, sane embrace of unconsciousness. Sesshoumaru, lord of the Western Lands, and one of the most emotionally stunted demons someone would ever come across was humming!

Sesshoumaru looked behind him when he heard several objects hitting the floor, but he only saw his uncle and the servants. Maybe he should get rid of the servants if they were going to lay down on the job like that. He did not get why his uncle was on the ground with them, but then again he had never claimed to know the inner, slightly insane workings of the channel-er's mind. He merely shrugged his shoulders and proceeded to return to his mate who had been keeping a naughty secret from him.

Sesshoumaru stealthily stalked his mate to the pond in their private gardens. He was teaching the kit and Rin how to swim, though Shippou was being difficult about as he refused to let go of Inuyasha and try to swim on his own as Rin was attempting. Inuyasha settled for keeping one hand under the little kitsune for support and getting splashed in the face by tiny kicking feet. Rin on the other hand was swimming circles about the demon and hanyou in the knee deep water. Sesshoumaru continued to watch as Inuyasha parented their eldest children and could not help but feel a bit of resent at his father because the little ones that Inuyasha lost would be all over that pond. That was in the past and he was going to allow sleeping dogs to lie, especially in the light of the news he had just weaseled out of an old friend.

"You have been naughty, pup." Sesshoumaru called from the shore. Inuyasha stopped what he was doing to look at his mate as though he had lost every marble in his head out of his ears, like that gumball machine he once broke while in the future (yes that was a horrible metaphor, but I couldn't help but picture it on Sesshoumaru and laugh til it hurt). The thought brought giggles to the hanyous throat before he was in full out laughter. He picked Shippou up from the water and called Rin in before attempting to talk to his mate.

"How have I been naughty, Sesshoumaru-sama?" The TaiYoukai growled. He knew the brat was doing that on purpose, he much preferred his mate to call him Sesshy than to call him -sama like a mere servant.

"Keeping secrets from this Sesshoumaru, pup. You will be thoroughly punished for your deviance." Rin and Shippou looked back and forth between the two not understanding what was going on, but believing that Inuyasha was actually in trouble and wisely decided to keep out of it.

"Let's go prank the guards," Shippou whispered to Rin who smiled and nodded before they both addressed their parents. "Later Momma, Papa!" With that the two scamps were gone.

"You think that you can keep secrets from me, my Inuyasha? I know everything about what happens in this palace."

"Oh really. Did you know that Jaken finally mated the kitchen imp and they are expecting their first off-spring within the week, or that Father and his mate have finally allowed the little one to interact with other children, what about the front gate guards that have finally figured out that they are bet-" Sesshoumaru shut up the incessant ramblings of his mate with a hard, dominating kiss. When he was sure the pup was going to stay silent, he pulled away.

"Why did you not tell me when you found out?"

"Well, I was going to tell you, but I kinda got side tracked by trying to keep a promise of swimming lessons because someone else has neglected to do so." Inuyasha glared at the older demon, but Sesshoumaru only looked confused and the pup had to sigh.

"You ass! Were you even listening when they begged you to give them swimming lessons last month? No, you were too involved in your conversation with Jaken about the treaty with the lord of the Eastern Lands. I told you not to bring business to the dinner table, but do you listen to me? No. Your hopeless. Let this be a lesson to you, though, personally I think I should have left you with two upset and crying children to deal with on top of your work so you would actually pay attention to their needs once in a while. You better straighten your priorities before our litter gets here or there will be hell to pay. You hear me, Mr. Know-It-All-of-the-Western-Lands?" Sesshoumaru looked taken aback, but put his arms around his mate and tried to calm his ranting mate. Key word is tried.

"I will not calm down! Do you know how disappointed they were because you backed out on your promise. How are they supposed to grow up with honor, integrity, pride if the example they are lead by cannot keep his word." Sesshoumaru conceded to Inuyasha's point and was happy that the little male was finally calming down. He would think about Inuyasha's words later, but right now he was concerned with trying to keep Inuyasha and the pups that he held healthy.

"When do we have to tell the family?" Inuyasha was resigned to the fact that since their father and uncle had returned they would have to be informed of the pregnancy. Sesshoumaru looked down at his resigned otouto.

"We tell them only when you are ready to."

"How 'bout we tell them when I give birth?" Inuyasha gave a snort of laughter at that thought.

"If that is what you want, but I highly doubt that you want to be confined to our wing and the private garden." Inuyasha looked up at him with seriousness.

"I think I would be able to handle it for the simple fact that I do not trust either of them not to something incredibly stupid. I do not want history to repeat itself. Call me paranoid, but I have a feeling in my soul that I should not be near them at all during this nor should they know. I also know that neither Rin nor Shippou would tell and they would need to know."

"What excuse would you have me give them."

"Invite the healer and have him declare me on bedrest."

"You have really thought this out have you not?"

"I want what is best for our children and my soul is telling me that them not knowing it the best thing I can do."

"Your wish is my command, pup."

"Sesshoumaru?"

"What is it, Yasha?" Sesshoumaru tightened his hold on his little mate.

"Thank you. I love you so much." Inuyasha leaned onto his tiptoes and kissed Sesshoumaru sweetly. Sesshoumaru was surprised for a moment before happily kissing the hanyou back.


	15. Family and Reflections

Taisho and Akira almost could not believe their ears, but the healer had said so himself. Inuyasha was on bedrest and Sesshoumaru was not allowing anyone into his wing as was his right. It was a bit odd, but then they had never claimed to know how the little lord's mind worked. They could have sworn that the pup was in excellent health considering they had ate dinner with him the night before. However, the entire palace had been talking the next morning about the healer having been raised while the waning moon was still high to the chambers of Lord Sesshoumaru and his mate. Sesshoumaru had only appeared at breakfast to confirm the rumors that had been circulating. He would not, however, divulge any specifics.

Inuyasha was lying lazily in the sun on the highest branch of the old tree in the private gardens. Shippou and Rin were with tutors and Sesshoumaru was busy doing what lords do. It felt good to finally get a break from all of them at the same time. It was not to say that Inuyasha did not love his makeshift family, but sometimes he just needed some time to breathe and be by himself. At the moment, he was thinking about everything that he had learned from his uncle. He had gone from blissfully ignorant about the death of his father to feeling complete abandonment by the same demon because not only was he alive, he had not deemed it necessary to return to his children in favor of finding 'peace' and that woman he was now with.

Inuyasha's head was beginning to hurt and he decided that after a good lunch and a maybe a nap, he would try to sort out everything that was twirling about his head. Inuyasha hopped down from his perch, branch by branch instead of the usual straight drop, and entered the rooms that he and Sesshoumaru shared. The tray was already laid out in the common room and Sesshoumaru, surprisingly enough, was sitting with Shippou and Rin, waiting. The younger inu smiled and joined the group.

"What's the big gathering for, hmmm? Did everyone miss me already?" Inuyasha teased lightly. Rin and Shippou just ran around the table to lavish lots of hugs and kisses (from Rin) on their mother. Sesshoumaru felt his heart warm at the sight.

"How was your first day of tutoring?" Inuyasha asked as they began eating the spread of fruit, rice, and meat- both raw and cooked for Rin.

"It was so cool. I didn't know there was an e-e-econ-ecomy." Shippou shot off first. Inuyasha giggled at his attempt to say economy as Sesshoumaru corrected the kit on how to say the word properly. Rin decided while Shippou was being corrected to tell a bit about her day.

"Rin was taught the names of all the flowers Rin likes to pick." Inuyasha had to smile at the girl. It was probably the only way the tutor could get her to pay attention. He still listened attentively as Shippou and Rin tried to out talk each other about what they had learned that day and Inuyasha could almost see the headache that his poor mate was gaining from the chaos.

"Okay you two. How about asking your father how his day went. I am sure he has as much to say about his day as you have." Inuyasha gently put a stop to the ramblings of the little ones at the table. Sesshoumaru sent him a grateful smile.

"Okay, Momma," two voices rang out in unison before turning on their father. "How was Papa's day?"

"Very busy. I like my days much better when I can spend it with you."

"Your going soft, Aniki. What would your enemies say?" Both inus began to laugh at that while two small confused faces watched.

"We don't get it," they called out.

"You will when you're older. Until then just have fun, okay?" Inuyasha encouraged. He wanted them both to have the childhood that he could never have. Inuyasha was broken from going down that dark path when he felt lips against his forehead. He looked up at Sesshoumaru with surprise.

"I have to get back to signing treaties and listening to whimpering idiots. I will check up on you before the evening meal, okay? Come on Shippou, Rin. Let's leave your mother to his rest." With that everyone left and Inuyasha went for the nap he had promised himself.  
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"Akira?" Taisho addressed his younger brother, who was preparing to leave yet again as the wind had called out to him.

"Hmm?" the younger acknowledged.

"Do you get the feeling that they are hiding something? The boys, I mean."

"Of course, I know they are hiding something, but I also understand their want to keep it from us. We have not proved ourselves very trustworthy, have we?" Akira said being, as always, the voice of wisdom. Taisho sighed. He knew his brother was right, but that did not stop the hurt that he felt every time Sesshoumaru or even one of the children stopped talking merely because he, and probably Akira, walked within hearing range.

"Do you think that we, I, failed them with my decisions?" Taisho asked, afraid of he answer he would get.

"Only you would know the answer to that, 'Sho. I will only say that I do regret my part in helping you, but should I get the chance to do it again, I would choose the same path because you are brother." With that Akira went silent and focused upon his preparations. Inu no Taisho walked to his rooms with his mate and child to think over his brother's words as well as to search himself for the answer that has been evading his question. The one question that he truly wanted answered, but could not on his own was whether or no his sons would forgive him. He wanted to be a part of their lives, but the rift between them was so large that they even felt they could not trust them with whatever illness had suddenly plagued Inuyasha.


	16. Exciting News and Mending Relationships

Inuyasha was going to make sure Sesshoumaru did not have anything left to reproduce with when he finished giving birth to their fourth and final, thankfully, pup. He had known childbirth would be hard, but nothing...nothing would able to prepare anyone for that kind of pain. It was even worse than the torture he endured at Naraku's hands. In his heart, though, Inuyasha knew that should Sesshoumaru ask for more children, he would not give it a second thought before answering yes and repeating the whole process. On that note, Inuyasha was also extremely proud of his mate because he stayed with him during the entire birth of their son and three daughters. He had seen many dominants unable to stomach childbirth and leave, but his mate stood strong by his side, even if he was looking a bit green. Inuyasha would laugh at it later, he was too sore to do so just then.

Sesshoumaru really, really, really did not want to be here, but he had helped make the babes that were...painfully exiting his mate's body. He had been told stories of the process when he was younger, but he finally understood why the other males excused themselves from the birthing room when the time came. Sesshoumaru, however, was going to remain strong as it was the least he could do to thank Inuyasha for the pain that he was clearly going through. He even let the curses and threats at his person slide as the pup nearly broke his hand with his grip (he actually winced in front of the healer because of that).

"Congratulations, Lord Sesshoumaru! You have three healthy daughters and a strong heir to your lands." Sesshoumaru took his son from the healer's arms to examine him as was tradition. When he finished examining the tiny babe, he moved on to look over each of his daughters. All of his children were beautiful and held perfect mixtures of their parents in them. Inuyasha glared as Sesshoumaru before speaking his mind.

"Could I see the fruits of my labor?" Inuyasha wanted to see the little beings that he had carried for six months, secretly, in his belly. Inuyasha was given his firstborn, the little boy, and could not help the stupid smile that stretched across his face. The infant had the trademark silver hair of the inu clan, his father's elven ears and crescent moon while he had his mother's jagged, magenta demon markings on his face, wrists, hips, and ankles. He was a full-blooded demon as were the rest of his siblings. Inuyasha handed the boy back to the healer so that he could be cleaned and then they would begin naming. As the firstborn was being washed, Inuyasha was given his second-born. The girl also had the trademark silver hair, but had her mother's ears with her father's demon marking except for the crescent moon. The third-born was completely identical to her brother and Inuyasha dreaded having to tell them apart when they were old enough to get into trouble. The youngest of the litter had black hair instead of the usual silver with Inuyasha's puppy ears. She had the double demon markings like Sesshoumaru, but they were jagged like Inuyasha's. He handed her to the healer as well to be cleaned and Sesshoumaru picked up their son to be named.

"His name will be Taiki, in honor of his grandfather," Sesshoumaru declared as he pricked his thumb and allowed the infant to suckle on the blood that beaded there. A soft glow surrounded the newborn before the infant's breathing evened in sleep. Taiki would wake in about an hour, though, he would be hungry. Inuyasha was rearranged upon the bed to be propped up for his contribution. He got to name the three girls.

"Milo, Saiya, and Rae," Inuyasha fed them each a bead of his blood from his thumb in the order that they had been ordered. Each infant eased into a light sleep while Inuyasha was cleaned and taken care of before it was time to nurse his babies.

"Are you going to summon Father, now? I know you want to, Sesshoumaru. You miss him. I love you and I will no matter what you do, so stop avoiding him like the plague. Yes, I am still angry with him, but I would never keep his grandchildren away from him or any other member of our family. It wouldn't hurt if he would allow us to visit his family every once in a while either, but maybe this can be a gesture of goodwill, okay? Woah, what was in that herbal tea I drank? I wasn't going to tell you that last bit. I am going to try and shut up now." Inuyasha continued to ramble about many nonsense things until it came time to feed the little ones, which he did one at a time before falling asleep from exhaustion. Sesshoumaru had tuned out most of the hanyou had said, but he continued to think about what Inuyasha had said concerning their father. Yes, Sesshoumaru did miss him, even though he was angry at the older demon, and he really did want his father and the additions to their family to know their children. Sesshoumaru sent Jaken for his father. One thing Sesshoumaru did not understand, but had not really been bothered with until then, was why his father had shut his mate and their new sibling away? Yes they were angry with father and maybe a bit with Naiya because she condoned his actions, but neither of them would have taken it out on their little sister. Both of them had experienced the path that that led to, even if it was unintentional. Sesshoumaru was pulled from his musings when he heard the door open and shut behind him. He turned to see his father standing unsure in front of the door. Sesshoumaru motioned him to come see the four bundles that were all cuddled against his mate in some fashion.

Taisho was surprised when he got a summons from Sesshoumaru as his son had been very secretive the past half year. It had been a bit unnerving to say the least. He had started to get paranoid and believe that Sesshoumaru or Inuyasha or both were planning to get 'rid' of him and his family. He entered the room warily and suspiciously approached the bed that Sesshoumaru was sitting next to, not sure if he should expect an attack upon his person. He was surprised, though, by what he saw and what his son told him.

"Say hello to you grandchildren, Father. Taiki, Milo, Saiya, and Rae." Sesshoumaru introduced, making sure to point out each child as he called their name so there would be no confusion. Taisho looked from Sesshoumaru to the litter of pups to Inuyasha and back again before his mind began to put together the pieces. He was angered that they would keep such a secret from him, then understanding as to why they would have chosen to do so, and finally he felt ashamed that he could ever think that his children would want revenge in such a terrible way. Taisho moved closer to the bed so that he could get a better view of his grandchildren.

"You know, Inuyasha told me that he would like to see his step mother and his little sister sometime? I had not really thought about it until he said something, but we do not see either of them, ever. Not even the staff has seen their new masters since the birth of our little sister. Are they ill?" Sesshoumaru pressed gently. He usually would have just demanded, but it was a time for mending what was broken and he wanted to curse Inuyasha for making him think about it. He was not gentle or subtle. He was hard and blunt, end of story. When his father did not answer, Sesshoumaru gave the man an out.

"I hope you would not decline a new moon evening meal with us, would you? Inuyasha does not like to be about the palace during that time and he appreciated any company that deem to stop by. It is usually myself, Shippou, Rin, Miroku, or Sango that entertain him, but I do not believe he would object to your company." Taisho nodded without really thinking about it as he was still in shock over what had been revealed to him and as the consequences of his actions truly hit home.


	17. Getting to Know You and You (again)

Inuyasha was pacing restlessly in the front room of his and Sesshoumaru's suite for their father, step-mother, and little sister. They did not even know her name for Kami's sake. Sesshoumaru watched Inuyasha pace in amusement as entertained the four babes in their basket with a ball that was attached to a 12in string tied about a stick. The babes had decided that they found comfort being in the true forms when not being held by one of their parents. Yips, small barks, and adorable growls came from the basket as each pup tried to get the ball for themselves while Sesshoumaru bounced the stick holding the ball up and down, back and forth.

"Calm down, Yasha. Everything will be just fine. Besides, you were the one to suggest we stop avoiding father and to let him get to know his grandchildren." Sesshoumaru tossed at the distraught human that continued to try and put a hole in the floor. Inuyasha stopped to glare at Sesshoumaru before going back to his pacing and telling the demon exactly what he thought of that.

"As I remember, Sesshoumaru, I said that you should stop avoiding Father. I had never met the man before and I cannot really miss something I never had. I do not mean to be harsh by saying that, but it is the truth and I cannot help that. Yes, I did say that we should not keep our children from him, but I did not think that you would invite him visit on the night I feel most vulnerable. Before you say anything, let me explain. On this night, I vulnerable more than just physically. Emotionally and mentally, I am not at my best either. It is not all from outside sources either that make me wary of this night every month, Sesshoumaru. I have done things that my human side just cannot deal with, so it is more than just the attacks from when I was little and demons trying eat me because I was out alone at night. I have my own inner struggles that I have to deal with. While I know that part of me is demon, on these nights my humanity just does not understand and I have long since stopped trying." Inuyasha stopped pacing to sit gracelessly next to his mate and gave an exasperated sigh. It was nights like these that he almost wished he could go back to being alone all night. While many of the things his demon half understood and even rejoiced in some of things he had done, his human half gave him hell for it. It was a big factor in why he never slept on the nights of the new moon. Inuyasha turned to his mate and continued his tirade.

"Also, I want you to know that while I am still angry with Father, I will put aside my anger and try to work through it...with him."

"That is all that anyone could ever ask of you, Yasha. Things are not going to magically fix themselves, but now, at least, we are both willing to take the first step towards forgiveness and nurturing a relationship with our remaining. I do not know that you will ever have a father-son relationship with Father, but at least both of you could get along." Inuyasha snorted at the 'father-son' part of Sesshoumaru's words. He had never had a father and had done quite well without one. He certainly did not want a father then after he had already grown up, gotten a mate, and had children. Life just did not work that way. A knock on the door had Inuyasha putting on his best face, which oddly enough was a cute little pout that made Sesshoumaru wish they were not having company, but fate (the authoress) does love to torture him.

"Enter."

"Real original, Sesshy-sama." Inuyasha teased at the TaiYoukai. Sesshoumaru glared at the younger inu and huffed in annoyance.

"Must you use that horrid name?"

"Of course, I can't exactly attempt a coup in this condition." Inuyasha smirked at his reply. He certainly thought it was funny because he couldn't goad Sesshoumaru into sparing with him or rough sex, so on the nights of the new moon, Inuyasha just irritated and annoyed his mate until the point of insanity. It also made his mate that much rougher when they went at it the next night. Sesshoumaru could really harbor some frustration.

"Are we interrupting?" a soft feminine voice flowed from the direction of the entryway to the rooms. Naiya with her daughter in her arms and Taisho were standing just inside the doorway when they were practically ran down by the eldest children of the couple that had invited them to dinner.

"Nope, its normal for Momma to get on Papa's nerves." Shippou butted into the conversation with a matter-of-fact tone of voice. Taisho wasn't paying attention as he was staring so intensely as his youngest son. Inuyasha had so many of his mother's features on this night it was almost uncanny. The dark, silky looking hair, the large, violet eyes, and the lithe, compact frame were all Izaiyoi's contributions to their son. Again he was reminded of how much he had missed by running away like he did, but he could not bring himself to regret it as he would not have met Naiya nor had his daughter, Shiza.

"Shippou, Rin? Would you like to tell me what happened to you manners? Running people in the doorway is unacceptable and your father will be giving you a stern talking to later. It would prove to be a good thing to apologize." Inuyasha said as he smiled. Sesshoumaru was such a softy when it came to the children. He indulged them far too much to be healthy, but then he was trying to balance his family and the full time duty of being lord of the Western Lands. They kids only had to turn the sad eyes on him and he was nothing but a big pile of Papa clay being carefully manipulated by the little brats they call theirs. Inuyasha always found it funny when he watched Sesshoumaru try to discipline their mischievous miscreants (say that five times fast).

"Sorry," they chorused before returning to previous task of arguing about who got to sit next to which parent and why. Inuyasha laughed at the familiar antics of his family, his eyes shining with the happiness and contentment that he felt, though it was still and probably always would be plagued by the pain that had always followed him in his life.

"Come on and sit down before the brats eat it all." Inuyasha invited cordially. Naiya and Taisho sat down awkwardly at the table where the family was gathered. It felt as though they were invading a personal moment when Taisho remembered something.

"Are our grandchildren already asleep?" Inuyasha leaned over a bit from where he was sitting and lifted something. The something was a basket and it began to yip and growl as it was moved from its previous spot.

"They are right here. You can come see them if you like. And when are you going to properly introduce us to your mate and our little sister, hmmm? I have been waiting for over a year to meet her." Inuyasha's tone was light and questioning with no accusations, but Taisho felt as if there was when Naiya laid a gentle hand on his arm. He gave her a gentle smile and introduced his lovely mate, the slender woman with eyes so dark they looked black and hair to match as it flowed down to brush her shoulder blades. Naiya then introduced them to their silver haired little sister with the same puppy ears as Inuyasha and gold eyes. It was apparent that her human night was not aligned with the new moon. They believed Shiza to be a sweet baby that they were totally going to spoil and make sure she gave her father a hard time when she was old enough to get into trouble. Inuyasha then introduced Taiki, Milo, Saiya, and Rae to their grandmother.

"Now that everyone knows everyone, let's eat. I'm starving and I need the energy to annoy Sesshoumaru the rest of the night with." Inuyasha gave a smile that was identical to the ones on the children's faces at his words. Sesshoumaru buried his head in his hands as he tried not to think of all the wicked and naughty things he was going to do to his beta tomorrow night as punishment for tonight. Since their father and stepmother were there, that punishment was going to be so much worse. He was talking four lengths of silk, a paddle, a nurse for the night, quite a bit of blood, and did he mention having a nurse for the entire night. Yes, Inuyasha was going to suffer for his humiliation tonight.


	18. Years Gone By and Mended Fences

Inuyasha smiled contently at his father playing with his nine children while rubbing his swollen belly. When he was younger he had never even allowed himself to think of his future because it would hurt that much more when his future was snatched from him either by death or by slavery, which nearly happened. However, there he was at almost three hundred with nine children, pregnant with the next litter, a wonderful mate, and had finally settled things with their father and his mate as well as spoiling his little sister rotten. Inuyasha finally let the little seed of doubt that had constantly stayed with him after his time with Naraku float away with the contentment and safety of the life he had. Inuyasha's smile widened when he felt Sesshoumaru's arms wrap strongly, gently, warmly about him. He had everything he had never wished for and more than that.

Sesshoumaru hugged his mate tightly from behind. His smile was an exact replica of Inuyasha's and he did not care if anyone saw it. He was happy, his children were safe, and his mate had finally been rid of the horrible nightmares that had plagued his sleep for years. It was not just the nightmares of Naraku, but of the hanyou's entire life and the things that happened during the many years that Inuyasha had lived. Sesshoumaru was also at peace because his family was safe, happy while his lands were secure and prosperous. For however long the peace lasts, Sesshoumaru was resolute to spend it cherishing his family and ensuring that his lands were prepared for the best and worst case scenarios.

Inu no Taisho could not believe the progress of healing between his sons and himself. He had been figuring on a hundred years war with them for what he had done, but they had forgiven him with such grace, he still could not help but be ashamed with what he had done. He was not going to worry about that, though, because he was busy playing with his grandchildren while his mate and daughter were doing whatever females do within the nearby village. He was happier than he had been even when it had been just him and his mate and he knew that it was because his family was finally back together, even Akira had been released from his duties for Mother Earth. Everything had finally fallen into place and fit snuggly together.

Akira watched from his perch on top of one of the many towers of the palace. He could see well his nephews, brother, and his great nieces and nephews below as they relaxed and played in the garden below. He was happy that everything had worked out as well as the fact that his nephews had forgiven him for his choice even if he would never change for anything or anyone. He was also glad that Mother Earth had finally given him her blessing of release and let him come home. He had missed much of Sesshoumaru's life, all of Inuyasha's, and he wanted to be a part of his great nieces and nephews growing up. He wanted to see them try and succeed as well as encourage them when they try and and fail. He wants to witness them grow from children to capable demons and he was going to get that chance. He was not going to ruin this chance to impart his wisdom upon the younger generation. Life had finally pulled itself together for him and for them, for all of them. It was great to come home, but it was beyond words to come home to family.


End file.
